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Parkinson's a suitable case for treatment

3 December 1994

By Georgina Ferry

REMEMBER the screaming headlines of 1988&colon; “Brain graft cure for Parkinson’s disease”? Surgeons in Mexico, in Sweden and in Britain had transplanted brain tissue from aborted fetuses into the brains of people with Parkinson’s disease, and some had made claims of spectacular recovery. Six years on, Parkinson’s disease remains as incurable as ever. But results from a steadily growing pool of transplant patients – the worldwide tally now stands at over 200 – suggest that fetal grafts may have a place in slowing the progress of the disease in people who would otherwise face a bleak future.

It is no longer a question of whether grafts can work, but of whether this costly, complex and controversial procedure should be made available as a treatment to many more patients. Uncertainties abound. Might researchers end up perfecting their techniques only to find that doctors and health service managers lack the resources to implement them? Could a greatly increased demand for fetal tissue be met from existing supplies? Alternatively, might developments in cell culture and genetic engineering mean that future transplant programmes could dispense with fetal brain tissue altogether?

Time will tell. Right now, researchers are focusing on a more basic question&colon; do brain grafts of fetal tissue work well enough to justify expanding current programmes? Since the late 1980s many countries – including Britain and the US – have had guidelines that allow fetal tissue to be used for transplants within certain ethical limits.

The concept is simple enough. Brain cells that die in adulthood, whether through disease or injury, are irreplaceable in the normal course of events. Fetal brains, obtained from abortion …